Deuteronomy 18:18
I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.
The promise was given through Moses shortly before his death to keep before Israel God's purpose to send His Son as the Redeemer of the fallen race, plainly revealing the work of the Messiah to come. It foretells that God will raise up Christ, the Messiah, as a Prophet from among Israel's brethren, like unto Moses, and will put His words in His mouth, and He shall speak unto them all that God shall command Him. Moses is a type of Christ because both received words from the mouth of God and spoke them to the people. But Christ is greater, for Moses had to be disciplined in the school of affliction and poverty to prepare him to lead Israel from Egypt to the earthly Canaan, while Christ needed no earthly teaching or discipline to perfect Him as divine Teacher and Leader to guide the Israel of God to the heavenly Canaan and better heavenly country; He manifested no human weakness or imperfection, yet died to obtain entrance for His people into the promised land.
As the promised distinguished Teacher, Christ speaks with God's supreme authority, so His words are not to be disregarded, and His coming marks days of supreme authority and invincible power. All people must hear and obey Him, and those who refuse to heed the words He speaks in God's name are accountable to God and face destruction. Moses wrote and testified of Christ, so those who trusted Moses' writings were responsible to recognize and heed Christ when He was among them; the Pharisees' failure to recognize Him showed they had not truly believed Moses.
The title that prophet refers to this promised prophet like Moses. The Jews expected Moses himself to be raised from the dead, so they understood John the Baptist's denial that he was that prophet in light of that expectation and wondered whether John was Moses returned, partly because of his knowledge of Hebrew history and prophecy. His coming as the promised Teacher was foretold for a time of spiritual darkness.